The USA forward Abby Wambach has been named Fifa women's world player of the year, adding the game's biggest individual prize to her London Olympics gold medal. Wambach is the first American to be voted the world's best since Mia Hamm won the 2002 women's award.

On a marquee night for the USA team, Pia Sundhage, who stepped down after the Olympic triumph, which was sealed with a victory over Japan at Wembley, won the coaching award for women's football.

The 32-year-old Wambach edged out her national team strike partner, Alex Morgan, and five-time winner Marta of Brazil in the voting. Wambach received the trophy from a USA team-mate, the goalkeeper Hope Solo, at Fifa's annual ceremony celebrating world football.

"Thank you for challenging me every day, Alex especially," Wambach said to her rivals on the three-player shortlist.

Wambach, who scored five times at the London Games as the US won a third straight Olympic title, has a career total of 152 international goals and is closing in on Hamm's world record of 158. Referring to Hamm, Wambach, who was third in the Fifa poll last year, said: "She won the award a couple of times and never once talked about it. She only talked about championships, how those felt, and I've always had that similar mindset."

Regarding Morgan and Wambach, Sundhage said: "They made me look good and scored a lot of goals."

Voting was by national team coaches and captains around the world, and invited media.